Art Class: Drypoint Intaglio Printmaking using Tetra Pak

Even beginners can learn to create "etching-like" prints quickly and easily using tools and materials you already have at home! Explore drypoint intaglio printmaking using recycled Tetra Pak cartons as an affordable and eco-friendly plate material. We'll practice cross-hatching and incising textures using drypoint tools, corkscrews, dental tools, and exacto knives. Instead of etching ink, we'll use water soluble "Stabilo Woody" colored pencils. After "inking," prepare your plate using Q-tips to increase contrast, and pull prints using rolling pins or hand-burnishing. Emphasis on sustainable practice, mark-making, and experimental approaches to tone, pattern, and layering.

All supplies are provided, and step-by-step guidance will ensure everyone leaves with three finished plates in this two hour class. We'll have enough 300gsm 100% cotton paper for each student to make two prints from each plate in class, and you'll leave knowing how to make more prints at home. Images for tracing will be provided, but feel free to bring your own! Plates will be 2x3 inches and 4x5 inches. Print your images in reverse, especially words, as our prints will be the reverse from what we scratch into the plate.

This class will take place at Swoon City. Our address is 1716 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107. It's at the intersection of 17th and NW Market Street - kitty corner from Mighty-O Donuts.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes before class begins. 

If you cannot attend class for any reason, we will offer an exchange to another class currently on our schedule up to 48 hours before the class. After that time, no refunds or exchanges are issued out of respect for our teachers who purchase and prepare supplies based on the number of attendees.

Our current masking protocol is that anyone attending an event can email us at Info@swoon.city to let us know they prefer that people wear masks up to 72 hours before the event begins. Your request is anonymous to all the other participants.

Attendees will receive an email before the class to let them know If we will be requiring masks.

Hello, I’m Sara M. Hospador. I’ve been a Ballard resident since 1994, and I’m genuinely excited to connect with other creative people in the community and spend time making art together. I’m endlessly curious about new ways to be creative, especially when a medium blends art with a little science and history. Those intersections - where technique, experimentation, and curiosity meet - are what draw me in and keep me inspired.

I have a deep passion for color, pattern, and personal expression, along with a well-documented love of art supplies. For me, the joy of making art is as much about the process as it is about the finished piece. Water marbling, in particular, invites play, patience, and surprise, and I love sharing a technique that rewards both intention and letting go.  

When I teach water marbling, my goal is to create a welcoming, low-pressure environment where students feel comfortable experimenting. In previous classes, I’ve had students tell me at the start that they planned to simply observe and learn. Before long, they were fully engaged - confident in the process, taking creative risks, and having fun. By the end of class, those same students left with beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces and a sense of accomplishment they didn’t expect.

I believe creativity should be accessible, joyful, and a little messy. I’m excited to guide students through this meditative and playful art form and to help them discover what’s possible when curiosity leads the way.